STATE OF THE STADIUMS: IT'S TIME TO SHUFFLE OFF TO BUFFALO

     Earlier this month, reports indicated that NFL Commissioner
Paul Tagliabue asked Bills Owner Ralph Wilson to consider playing
some league games at SkyDome in Toronto.  But officials of Erie
County, which owns and operates Rich Stadium, plan to sign the
Bills to a new lease after their current lease expires in '98 and
have a $23M renovation of Rich Stadium already in progress, which
will add 14 new luxury boxes.  The team does have a friendly
lease, good luxury seating, and one of the largest capacities of
any NFL stadiums.  Today, we continue to examine our State of the
Stadiums with a profile of Rich Stadium in Buffalo.


  
 
    
 
      
STADIUM:
    
    
 
      
Rich 
        Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
    
  
  
 
    
AGE:
    
Completed in 1971.
  
  
 
    
OWNERSHIP:
    
Owned by Erie County, 
      New York
  
  
 
    
CAPACITY:
    
80,091 — 2nd highest 
      in the NFL.
  
  
 
    
NAMING 
      RIGHTS:
    
Bills paid an undisclosed 
      amount for naming rights from Rich Products, a family-owned company in New 
      York, agreement runs through 1998.
  
  
 
    
LUXURY 
      SEATS:
    
88 suites — 1,000 
      enclosed club seats — owned and operated by the Bills.
  
  
 
    
GAME-DAY:
    
Team pays for all game-day 
      personnel.
  
  
 
    
MAINTENANCE:
    
Team handles routine 
      maintenance. City pays for extensive strutural repair.
  
  
 
    
CONCESSIONS:
    
Ogden Food Services, 
      team splits % of net revenue 50/50 with the county.
  
  
 
    
ADVERTISING:
    
Team receives all advertising 
      revenue.
  
  
 
    
PARKING:
    
12,500 spots at $7, 
      revenue split 50/50 with county.
  
  
 
    
LEASE:
    
Expires at the end 
      of 1998.
  
  
 
    
RENT:
    
$660,298 — 6th 
      lowest in NFL.
  


(Source: Buffalo Bills; rent figure from Florida Times-Union
article on July 24, 1994.)